The Davis family's record-breaking Belgian Blue-cross heifer calf that sold for €33,500 at the Carrick Winter Fair. \ Chloe Goggins
It's exactly 20 years since the Angus heifer Lavally Angie sold for a record price of €31,000 at the showgrounds in Carrick-on-Shannon. Since then, many have come close to breaking that record, but fell short.
The closest came in 2024 when Derrick Forde sold his Limousin-cross heifer for €30,000 at the Winter Fair. On Monday, Angie's record was finally shattered, as the Davis family from Williamstown in Co Galway sold their Belgian Blue-cross heifer, Polar Bear, for €33,500 at the Carrick Winter Fair.
The heifer had been much admired throughout the weekend, with anticipation high around the sale ring as she entered.
Opening at €10,000, she rose in rapid succession in €1,000 bids up to €32,000, with three more bids of €500 required to secure the heifer for the ringside buyer, Drumroy Ltd.
Sired by the Progressive Genetics sire, Tropique, her mother is a daughter of Du Grand Bon Dieu going back to a purebred Limousin cow.
Polar Bear took second place in her class at Sunday's pre-sale show, but vindicated herself by taking the Progressive Genetics and Munster Bovine future champions calf extravaganza later in the day. Overall, trade was absolutely scorching hot from start to finish, as 268 weanling heifers averaged €5,700, with just 28 going home unsold.
Heifers sold all over Ireland, the UK and one to the Netherlands, as over 20 heifers sold for €10,000 or more; a staggering figure taking into account the majority of these heifers were born in 2025. Auctioneers Eamonn Gaffney, Cian Connolly and Tom Cox shared the workload on the rostrum, as selling commenced early Monday morning and continued late into the evening. A packed ringside watched on throughout the day, with 11,570 viewers logging in online, the highest figure ever recorded through the MartBids platform.
Setting the tone early on was the overall champion Limousin from Derick Forde in Co Galway.
Having topped the sale in 2024, his February 2025-born Trueman Idol daughter weighed 499kg and sold for a whopping €23,000 or just over €46/kg to Kaine Treanor.
Michael and Brodie Molloy from Co Louth had a day to remember when they sold their reserve champion Limousin for €20,000.
The February 2025-born Pabo Rocknroll heifer weighed 485kg and found her new home with the Moorhead family in Co Longford.
Matching her at the same money was Mike and Pat Roseingrave's stunning roan-coloured Belgian Blue-cross heifer. A daughter of Izpriceless, she stood top of the line in the Belgian Blue under 500kg class on Sunday and will now join the McKinney's herd in Co Donegal.
Calf bonanza
Following on from her win in the Dovea Genetics calf bonanza and the junior Limousin championship on Sunday, Frank Glynn's Limousin-cross heifer saw the gavel fall at €17,500 to ringside buyer, Conor McVeigh.
Sired by the AI company's renowned show calf producer Claddagh McCabe, the April-born heifer tipped the scales at 395kg to equate to a sale price of €44.30/kg.
The McGowan brothers are synonymous with the summer show scene and their heifer had a lot of admirers in the pre-sale show on Sunday.
She came to the ring garnished with a string of prizes from the 2025 summer show circuit. The February 2025-born Graiggoch Rambo-sired Limousin heifer weighed 498kg and sold for €16,000.
The prices just kept coming, as John and Tom Hickey from Co Tipperary received a call of €16,000 for their Ober Van Het Hubkesof-bred heifer.
McGloin duo
Cian McGloin from Co Leitrim had a day of dreams on Sunday, as he picked up the champion and reserve champion Belgian Blue with two full ET sisters.
Having been pipped to the post on Sunday, it was the reserve champion which lead his charge on Monday at €16,000.
This classy black-coloured heifer was born in April 2025 and was knocked down to online buyer, James Alexander. Hot on her heels at €15,000 was her full sister and the overall champion Belgian Blue.
Cian also saw his Soloway View Dynamite-sired heifer sell for €12,600. Out of his famous and consistent Panda cow, this second-prizewinning heifer joins a host of other calves of a similar cross produced by the Leitrim man that have sold for five-figure sums.
The O'Mearas from Co Offaly are also popular names on the summer show circuit and they took home €16,000 for their January 2025-born Limousin heifer weighing 485kg, a daughter of the popular Trueman Idol.
The men from the forgotten county certainly made an impression, as Dermot McGinley received €15,500 for his Hazard VD Pannemeers-bred heifer which picked up a first-prize ticket on Sunday.
She was followed by another Donegal heifer at €15,000, this time from well-known breeder Pearse McNamee. A first-prize winner from Sunday, this roan colored heifer calf is sired by Negrita Du Lac going back to an Ashley Admiral-bred cow.
280kg heifer
Noel McSweeney made the journey from Co Cork one to cherish. Despite being one of the youngest heifers on the day at just five months old, his catchy daughter of Ampertaine Elgin from an Imperial bred-dam clinched third prize in the under-350kg Limousin class on Sunday and went on to sell for €15,000 at 280kg (€53.57/kg).
Gerry Boyle from Castleblaney in Co Monaghan realised €13,400 for another super black Limousin heifer calf by Trueman Idol, a bull who ascended himself to the top of the game on Monday, with numerous high-priced progeny.
Cavan man Patrick Hughes was another man who had an unforgettable day, as he traded his April 2025-born Claddagh McCable heifer at €14,000. She was quickly followed at €9,500 by her herd mate, a Graiggoch Rambo-sired heifer calf going back to BYU and Imperial.
Charolais
Earlier in the day, Liam and Fergal McDermott from Killeshandra, Co Cavan, took home €11,000 for their January 2025 born Charolais heifer bred by Cloonradoon Ricky, which sold to Co Limerick.